Because you knew
by allinthesocks92
Summary: "When I saw you I fell in love and you smiled because you knew" -Shakespeare .Storybrooke in the early 1900s, when a stranger comes into town will she be the excitement that Sheriff Swan has been waiting for? The resuming of a love lost? AU Swanqueen.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** I don't own anything. Also this just kinds popped in my head. I have literally never written ff before, just a reader but I though why not.

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I grew up in a town that ain't never seen no one new in the 20 years that I lived here. Occasionally we would have outsiders stroll in from just south to try their hand at catchin the best lobster in the country, but no one that stuck around.

Maybe because of the harsh winters that would have anyone runnin for a mug of hot chocolate and a seat by the warm fire.

Other people like to say it's because our town has magical properties that we're all interconnected in some inexplicable way that binds us all together. I say it's a load hooey and I just want to get the hell out of dodge; the only thing that may link us all is inbreeding.

Don't get me wrong the people are nice and we're a good sized town, a couple thousand people living mutually in the quaintest place you ever did see. It ain't nothing like the big city of Boston, we're not quite so refined and we tend to work jobs that are more 'hands on.'

Even on the hottest days of August it doesn't rise much over 80 so people here are always strolling the streets looking for something fun to do with the dreary days. We're really outdoorsy folk you could say because there's not much that makes up our town.

One main street that begins with the saloon that's run by Granny where everyone gathers for meals and good black coffee, all the way down to the pawnshop at the end owned by sleazy Mr. Gold.

He thinks he runs this here town because he was the first to settle and makes more money in a year than all our salaries put together, but I ain't ever really figured out how except that everybody owes him something. Favors and money, he runs on pure unadulterated greed; I think he would try spinning straw into gold if it was possible. He does bring in all the supplies, he seems like the only person that ever leaves this darn town.

You can holler from Mr. Gold's to all the way past the Saloon and still be heard on the other side so you better believe word travels fast around here. Storybrooke, Maine our town damn near named after fairytales. You'd think exciting things would happen here but normally all there is to do is watch the dust settle or gossip, a favorite pastime of many. I'm just biding my time for something extraordinary to happen either that or hitting the road to Boston.

...

I'm the sheriff of this old town but man if that ain't worth a bucket of spit. My job is more like chasing dogs and hallin old drunks to the cells to sleep it off.

I live with my ma and pop, they're not to much older than me on account of everyone likes to get married real young here and my ma well she got herself pregnant before she had a promise of marriage.

It's strange having parents that are only 14 years older than you. You would think it would keep them off my back but it seems to be quite the opposite.

My father used to herd animals all over the place from NY to Maine and back just to make enough money, but once my baby sister was born he moved back home and now he resides as my deputy. He still has a bit of pride about that, his own daughter givin him orders. I like it for once he just has to smile and take it, instead of the other way around.

My ma works at the school teaching all the kids, being the daughter of the only educator you'd think I'd be a smart one, but hell I skipped school more than anyone else. And then there's little Ruth, a little ball of slime that came screaming into this world 14 years after me. Yes she was a surprise but I dare admit a good one. She wears dresses just like my mama likes, though she can be a little spunky herself. Running around pretending to be the princess of United States just because she shares the same name as President Cleveland's daughter.

...

Basically I'm the town's old maid at 20 years old, even Mr. Gold has a beautiful wife that waits on him hand and foot. That's what I'd like a wife. Comin home to sweet breads and a nice hearty meal. Someone to wash your clothes and hell maybe even take care of a few children.

I brush away that thought because what man would want to do that for me, and I sure as hell wouldn't be doing anything like that for a sorry son of a bitch.

I've tried dating the boys around here, Killian though I like to call him stump on account of he got his hand cut off working down at the docks. Well not only is he missing a hand but maybe a few manners, he sure is a cocky one.

Neal well he is about as smart as a frog with a scorpion on his back, gullible and always willing to give into to his dad's schemes. Oh yeah that guy's got more problems than the rest of us because his father is the one and only Mr. Gold and he serves as his errand boy.

And not too far back there was August he was the one I was the closest to do anything with loving, liking, so on and so forth. With a nickname like woody you'd think he would have no problem, but nope the kissing was awful and his personality is the only thing that's stiff as a board if you get what I'm saying.

Don't get me wrong all of these fellas turned into to some of my best friends but man are they not marriage material, at least not my kind.

My best pals though since I was knee high to a grasshopper are Red and Graham. Red's grandmother is Granny who owns the saloon but man is my best friend a looker. She puts all of us other girls to shame. She likes her dresses unlike me but when they get old she makes some interesting modifications. She pulls those dresses out at night and wow does she show off some leg and they seem to go on for miles.

And then there's Graham, you're probably asking why I didn't date him, mostly because he's like a brother to me. I look at him and can still picture his bare white ass when we would go swimming in the ocean as kids. We have a special kind of connection; people here are all really outgoing and love to talk everything out. Graham and I have had some of our best moments sitting up in a tree thinking things over and not speaking a word, we retreat into ourselves, our own little ideal world in our head.

We three never did quite conform like everyone else. When we were kids on summer days we'd go off into the woods barefoot and disappear for days, swimming, camping and hunting like real wild ones. That all had to stop a few years back when we finished up school and had to find real jobs. Here you become a real adult at 15, but on weekends we sometimes sneak back out to get muddy and commune with nature once more. We're the ruffians around here we drink and gamble at night and get our hands dirty doing hard work in the day.

...

Though our town might be small don't be deceived we have lies, secrets and betrayals just like anyone else. Hey my own damn existence was one. You see my dad David was supposed to marry Kathryn whose family is pretty well off in our town.

Well he was seeing my mother Mary Margaret on the side and they apparently couldn't keep things to themselves. Cheating at 14 it was unheard of, that was until my dad told Kathryn and she started crying tears of happiness and snot running down her face.

Apparently she was getting some on the side too, a little mix and match and they both became the ideal couples of Storybrooke. Kids back in the day, it sure does make me worry about our future.

...

So here I am sitting out on the porch with my dog Goofy, I just call him Goof most of the time. He was the last one to start walkin out of his liter and when he did he just started flopping all over the place. He would pick up his legs stick straight and walk around like his joints were glued together. He's a smart one now though, he knows how to the follow the scent of every single person in town and he always noses my leg when he smells 'em coming.

Well this day I have my hat covering my eyes, it's August and unusually rising up into the 90s, so my eyes are drifting closed. Something's not right though because Goof is nudging my leg and barking, he doesn't do that with people that he knows.

Sure enough horse hooves can now be heard clamoring into town and I squint real small to see who's coming out of the summer heat. When an unexpected visitor comes everyone stops, forgetting about work and huddles near their windows or blatantly comes out and stares in the streets.

The horse comes to stop. The face of the woman on top of it glowing as the sun illuminates it from behind almost obscuring that angel face. As the woman swings a leg down I feel my heart quicken, familiar footsteps. All the sudden Goof stops his incessant barking, it's like he knows her scent even though he's never met her.

A scent that lingers around the town like a ghost, sweet like apples and honey but with a tinge of sweat and spice. Suddenly brown eyes lock with my green and if she recognizes me her eyes don't show it. All I can muster are the whispered words "_Gigi…"_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** Still not mine. This is my original story, I'm hoping it's going somewhere good, most of this is a flashback to well...you'll just have read to see... Comments appreciated especially since I've never done this before.

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_Suddenly brown eyes lock with my green and if she recognizes me her eyes don't show it. All I can muster are the whispered words "Gigi…"_

* * *

My throat is stock dry, clenching and unclenching. A pounding in my chest, my head, my ears, am I moving, am I breathing? I'm not even sure if my whisper has made it any farther than my own ears.

Then I see it. There's a flinch at the corner of her almond shaped eye, a tug of a memory, maybe even another life. Because the woman in front of me is not my Regina, her hair still shimmers in the sun, dark chestnut with little waves of caramel throughout. Her eyes are still dark with a flash of gold just around the pupils. But the stoic look on her face, the slightly curled lip indicating her distaste is nothing I have ever seen before.

I can't help but stare at this. I wish right now that I was half-cut, so I could stop all the memories from wanderin' in. But the movement of her lip draws me to the scar just to the right of her cupid's bow and it hurtles me into a memory of many years ago.

...

**12 years ago**

_It was the turn of the century, electric light bulbs had been commercialized for manufacturing and home use nearly two decades before and Storybrooke was still in the process of getting itself on the electrical grid. I was eight years old and the 6 months it took to us to get electricity felt like an eternity._

_The town was having a celebration. The fish cannery had gotten lights and electric manufacturing which would up the production and the money made. This was a big pay off for everyone, seeing as half of our town worked there._

_ We were going to have a feast in the middle of town and the big finale would be to turn on the main breaker to Storybrooke and finally get to admire it lit up like the fourth of July._

_ Special guests were coming in from Boston, friends of Mr. Gold's the Mills family. They had helped invest in the cannery when Gold was trying to get the town up and running._

_Everyone dressed to the tens that night. I was stuffed into a dark blue satin gown, with black stockings and ruffled socks. My dad had polished my shoes until they shined like mirrors. My ma well she fussed over my short choppy hair curling it into little ringlets. But man was I not happy, the stockings pulled, the dress itched, and my hair was all in my face. I asked them why I couldn't wear the little suit that the George's boy had passed down, it had pants and was always the go to for when I had to get dressed up special._

_ No one had seen a single sign of the refined family from Boston yet and the rumor mill was alive and kickin'. They had heard that Henry Mills was a potential candidate for Senate, that Cora Mills was the prettiest woman in Boston and only wore satins and silks and that their sweet little Regina could speak 3 different languages._

_ It was colder than a witches' tit but everyone was enjoying themselves drinkin' and having a good time. I was hiding out with Graham under the dessert table stealing all that we could and poor Ruby was practically still a baby sitting in her Granny's lap crying for her mama who hadn't comeback since the end of summer 6 months before._

_ People started hootin' and hollerin' as Mr. Gold prepared to turn on the breaker. This was the most important thing to happen to our town in a real long while. We crawled out from our little den and I wiped the dirt specks and crumbs off my dress. The band starting playing a drum roll and then suddenly the whole town was lit up with one flip of a switch._

_As the lights came on I caught my first glimpse of Regina Mills. Wearing a red silk dress and white velvet pea coat with a fur lining, her hair perfectly curled. It wasn't her clothes that caught my eye but her smile, her flawless lips upturning and her eyes opening wide, an expression that was all mine right in that moment. It left pure warmth radiating throughout me down to my very bones._

_ Who was this beautiful creature I must know. Even at the age of 8 I could see her beauty and the kind spirit playing across her pupils. We met eyes and she lifted her hand to wave but I was a gone goose. Running fast as my legs could take me to behind the skirt of my mama's dress. I reverted to a small scared child because those eyes and that smile put a bubbling in my soul that I had never felt before._

_ …_

_The very next day I was back to my ragamuffin ways, breaches and boots, hair sticking up every which way, laying up in my tree legs swinging. That tree was my favorite spot in town; I could see everyone and everything. Mama would drop me off on Saturdays and begin her shopping for the week, giving up on trying to reign me in._

_But today was different. Today there was a girl with raven locks and a frilly dress sittin' under my tree, reading a book._

_ "Hey this is my tree."_

_ "Pardon? This is yours, well I'm sorry it's in the middle of town and well there is no name anywhere so I thought I would be free to sit." She replies without looking up from her book._

_ "Well that's on account of I can't write my name"_

_ This seems to shock her because her mocha eyes jolt up quickly_

_"Now what kind of girl doesn't know how to write her own name?"_

_ When our eyes meet her features quickly melt and turn into a smile._

_ "Hey I remember you, where'd you run off to last night? And why are you wearing breaches?" she adds in as she takes in my appearance_

_ "Well I just look ugly in some dumb old stupid dress…" clearly leaving her other question unanswered_

_ "Why I think you were the most adorable thing there last night, that's why I hoped to introduce myself, but I suppose I could do that now my name is Regina"_

_ "Well I don't want to be adorable." I said kicking up dust_

_ "Well at least tell me your name…"_

_ "Emma" I huffed still staring at my own scuffed up shoes_

_ "Emma, what a lovely name, would you mind sharing your tree with me today Emma? My parents have many business meetings and left me with little to do."_

_ "I suppose so but if you're going to hang out in my tree we gotta give you a proper nickname"_

_ "What's wrong with Regina? Occasionally people call me Gina, but my mother doesn't like nicknames, she says they're unrefined."_

_ "Nah that's too boring if you're gonna hang with the guys you gotta have something cool, tough"_

_ "But you're not a boy"_

_ "Nah but I'm just a pinched faced tomboy, not as pretty as you" I wanted to eat my words as I saw the red blush stain her cheeks_

_ "Okay I suppose I understand"_

_ "How 'bout Gigi, like gina but just better"_

_ "That's great! It's my first real nickname" she smiled and kinda crinkled her nose._

_ "Oh Regina get out of the dirt and come on, we have tea time soon and then you need to do your studies." Her mother quickly approached and ripped her from my company and she didn't get to say another word, just a small wave and another smile that crinkled her nose._

_ …_

_From that day forward she was my Gigi, she never did notice that no one else really used her nickname. But for the glorious week she was in Storybrooke I said it as many times as possible because I loved the feeling of it rolling off my tongue._

_ I didn't get the full presence of her company again until the next Saturday; she was sittin' under the tree again reading a different even bigger book._

_ "Gigi!" I was embarrassed about my inability to hide my enthusiasm and stopped short_

_ "Well come on Emma, take a seat" she insisted_

_ "I got a better idea lets go up and talk for a while" I said pointing to the branches_

_ Her face got this real uncomfortable look, the edge of her mouth tried to turn up into a smile but her face was revealing everything._

_ "Have you never climbed a tree?" I said with the most astonished look on my face_

_ "No, in Boston we don't do much of that, when I'm outside it's mostly just reading in the back garden"_

That was the first time Regina got my signature eye roll, and she got that cross look and huffed a little like she couldn't believe I would agitate her with an eye roll. That was the beginning of us, the stubborn back and forth, with our horns hookin' and fighting for dominance.

_And then to my surprise she agreed…_

_ "Alright little Em show my how I to properly climb this tree"_

_ "Don't call me little! Just follow me I'll get you up safe and sound"_

_ We got to the very last branch you could sit up on, I musta been showing off because I never climbed up that high. But whenever I looked back at her, that shy smile and eyes full of trust I got that flutterin' feeling again and couldn't quite think right._

_ We spent hours up in that tree. She told me about Boston and how she loved the city and all the shops. How they had taken a train all the way to Portland but then had to take a carriage the rest of the way here. She spoke to me in French; she said she had been studying it for 10 years ever since she was 2 toddling around learning basic words._

_ She asked me about Storybrooke, I told her all about my friends and how I liked hanging out with the boys, shooting arrows, and riding horses. Her face broke out into a smile as I told her about my adventures. Her cheeks didn't dimple but formed two large and beautiful semi circles framing her mouth. I noticed her beautiful pink lips, I had never thought of them as pretty but hers made me want to run my fingers across just to see if they were soft._

_ But the longer we talked the more we envied each other's lives, her living in a big exciting place and me having the comfort of a loving town and family. Gigi didn't have many friends and she said her parents were always gone; she just wanted to make them proud. I told her how I didn't really fit in, how I always heard snickers behind my back. People saying I was ugly and needed to dress like the other girls._

_ We were too young to see the real pain behind our confessions and to really understand how to truly comfort one another. We tried our best, she wrapped an arm around my neck and I put mine around her waste in a semi-embrace._

_"Gigi I'd be proud of you no matter what you did, just be who you are right now sitting with me in this tree."_

_"Emma you're special, I've never met anyone like you, please don't change."_

_That was it. I was in love, with a girl from another state, four years my senior and absolutely beautiful but I was smitten and that's what that damn fluttering meant._

_We climbed down that tree, me first so I could be her fierce protector and make sure she got down safe. I was staring up at her twelve feet off the ground, when her foot slipped. She came crashing down and so did my job as her knight in shining armor._

_Her hands and knees caught her against the hard ground but quickly gave out, her angel face hitting the roots and rocks below. She laid still and my voice quivered…_

_"Gigi, are you okay?"_

_ She turned over, her stockings all ripped, hands and knees skinned, dress covered in dirt, and just to the right of her cupid's bow was torn, weeping drops of red blood down her face._

_ She had tears in her eyes, but her face got determined and she stood and brushed herself off, laughing gently at the mess she had quickly become._

_ "Let's get you to doc right quick, he can clean all your scrapes in no time."_

_ "Are you sure that's necessary?"_

_ "Yeah Gigi, you haven't seen you face." I offered a light giggle_

_..._

_ We preceded down the street me trying my hardest to hold up half her weight. Despite her being 12 I was almost as tall as her and worked well as a crutch._

_ Doc ushered us into his office, we popped up onto the exam table. I was apologizing over and over as she stared at her torn lip in the mirror._

_"It's nothing Emma"_

_ "But your pretty face" my ears turned red when I heard those words come out of my mouth_

_ "I mean… your…um… will still be pretty no matter what… uhh not in a strange way, am I being strange?" I sputtered_

_ She silenced me by grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers. I just stared down at the mix of tan and pale skin intermingling, my hand found it's home._

_ "Alright doc could you please fix me up?" she asked politely_

_ Doc cleaned all the dirt out of scratches and put two little stitches in her lip putting her altogether again. She squeezed my hand against the pain, something I knew she wasn't accustomed to._

_ Doc left saying he would phone her mother and she thanked him quietly._

_ It was silent in the office; our hands now had sweat intermingling between them. Our legs swinging back and forth, mine as long as Regina's because I was all knees and elbows, and she was a petite thing._

_ "I leave tomorrow Emma"_

_ This statement broke the calm and my heart dropped. How could Gigi leave? She was my best friend and I had shared with her all my secrets, at least all that a eight year old could have. In my mind I wanted to ask her to stay to marry me, not some stupid old boy, that dumb eight-year-old brain again. I knew she just loved me as a friend nothing more and did I even understand romantic love?_

_ I turned my head to stare at her in the low light that was the first time I noticed the golden rings around her pupils unlike anything I had ever seen. I leaned up and kissed her stitches our lips slightly touching unmoving._

_ It was purely platonic, we were children and I just wanted to kiss it better like my ma always did, it seemed like the right thing to do. The moment my lips grazed her chapped ones to reach her stitches I felt something new._

What I didn't understand then was in that moment I was ruined for anyone else. Regina was my beginning and my end. My 8-year-old self could never comprehend that but it explained why everyday after that I died a little waiting to see my Gigi's face just one more time.

_She looked confused, shocked, another thing she had never experienced before._

_"Didn't your mom ever kiss your hurts better? Ma says love makes it heal faster"_

_She shook her head slowly and glanced back at me her cheeks tinged pink._

_ "No Emma I don't think I've ever been loved."_

_ That was the last thing I heard Regina say before leaving Storybrooke. Her mother came in grabbing her hand and admonishing her about her unladylike behavior. She looked back and smiled that smile, the one that made her nose wrinkle. A smile I only ever saw her use on me._

_ …_

It all came back to that damn scar…


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N** Anger and denial so much harder to write then young love, if you expected a lovey dove reunion I just have to say sorry.

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I had been yearning for this moment for years now. There had been thousands of times that I thought about trying to find Regina. After a vivid dream about the first time she came to Storybrooke or when I would sit up in my tree and the wind would carry back words said long ago. And now here she stood in front of me. No searching, no warning, every bit as beautiful as that first night in her red satin dress.

If that pull of the eye told me anything she heard my mutterings but she made no acknowledgment. Her brown orbs mapped my face searching for familiarities, perhaps a confirmation of what she heard.

I had an ugly mug as a kid and the last time she saw me I was still coming into my own. I was 13 with mosquito bites for tits and still a little too skinny for my frame. My face though was chubby and I kept my hair real short, but man did God have other plans for me…

I hate to say it but some people would say that I'm down right beautiful. Hard labor chiseled out fine toned muscles and my face thinned out showing off my nice bone structure, my mother's strong chin and high cheekbones. I had chosen to grow out my hair long so that my natural curls could flow or I could pull it back in a braid if need be. Turns out I became a mighty fine 'lady' in these parts.

Now I'm watching her eyes track from collarbones to hips, all the way to my toes; pupils darkening ever so slightly, until they returned to my face once more.

"I am here to see the Sheriff, I was told he could show me around town and to my residence." Typical Regina, disregarding formalities and getting straight to the point; voice sharp and unemotional though, it registered harsh in my brain, she had never used that tone with me before.

"Well if he existed then perhaps he could, but there is no he just a she and you're lookin' at her." I replied back with as much sass as I could muster

Her eyes met mine for the first time, reducing to slits to see if this was some kind of inane joke. I held her steady gaze, yet all I yearned for was to hear my name roll off her lips.

"Well I suppose that you'll do dear. Now how did a woman go about becoming sheriff of this town?" I couldn't tell if this question was sincere or just a polite way to begin a meaningless conversation. Hell the damn woman wasn't even acknowledging our past.

"Well it's a truly long story and I don't suppose a woman like you has any time to listen to someone like me." Hit a woman where it hurts Swan. I see here face go from stoic to wounded and then back again in mere milliseconds. A lightly veiled insult about the last time we talked, the last time she refused to listen to my pleas, my words of anger and fury, the last time when she left me alone and broken hearted.

...

Her eyes were now staring down at Goof and he was staring right on back. He moved a paw forward and then another until he could get right up close and pick up a nice whiff of her scent, she seemed slightly alarmed.

"Awe don't worry for nothing Goof won't hurt ya, he's logging you into his big book of scents. He's a German shepherd one of the first of his kind to be born in America, has a good sniffer that could find anyone in a rainstorm."

Her face cracked into a grin as she leaned down to pet Goof and he was loving the attention from a pretty girl. But to see her get to his level practically sitting in the dust and allowing a big ole lick to swipe her face, I knew my Regina was still in there somewhere.

"Regina let's get your horse and we'll walk on over to Granny's and get him boarded" This snapped her out of her reverie, she stood up brushed herself off and regained her holier than thou posture. How any woman could look so good in a riding jacket and leggings I could never figure out.

"So how did I not hear that you would be coming into town Regina?"

"Well I'm not sure. That would seem inept on your part, you are responsible for keeping this place safe are you not?"

"This was clearly kept on the down low missy so out with it"

"Well I suppose my husband did want it kept quiet, he plans to come in and run for mayor, bring some legitimacy to this small town government…"

She didn't see me slow, my face felt hot and my ears were burnin. I felt nauseous and my stomach was suddenly in knots. This was the answer to the question that had been running through my head. I knew she was going to get married, someone as pretty as her. I suppose when she showed up alone it gave me hope that the inevitable was coming true, that my Regina had come back for me.

"Well that's nice, I heard they were planning on finally installing a mayor in these parts."

"Yes, well Leopold is a… good man, he should do a fine job." The way she stumbled in her descriptors gave me pause, a woman in love she would be overjoyed for her husband would she not? And Regina complementing someone where it's undeserved was strictly unheard of, yet that's what it seemed.

"I'm not sure how the towns going to take it a stranger barging in, we don't take well to strangers."

"Really, I would say everyone is so welcoming, arms always open" Those were the first words she had spoken that were authentic and honest, her mind clearly fleeting back to memories of years past

"Only for you Regina…"

My voice was hardly a whisper, our stares both following our own steps on the ground below. This conversation was getting too close, about to break the 4th wall of this act we had going. Saved by the arrival at Granny's another chance to put off the inevitable

...

"Well here we are let's get Red to put your horse outback and then I'll show to your house if you know the address."

We moved inside. Regina was still silent whether it was because she felt no emotional ties or because they were currently overwhelming her, she refused to speak a word.

"Well hey there pretty lady what can I do for you…" Red asked as she moved from behind the bar, eyeing Regina from head to foot as if she were a piece of meat. Red had a sexual appetite that was voracious and it took a lot to be pleased. Guys, girls she appreciated anything beautiful.

My shoulder rammed into Red's chest

"Red this is Regina Mills she apparently is moving into town." Well that wiped the hungry smile off her lips real fast, she coughed and sputtered, she new all about Regina and seemed just as shocked as me to see her standing here.

"Am I going to have to administer CPR for this one or do you believe she is going to live?" snarked Regina

"Sorr-sorry, you just caught me off guard. Moving. Here. Why that's….nice, did you need a room?"

"Ahh quite the warm welcome. Yes I will require a room for a few nights my things should arrive tomorrow, as well I need boarding for my horse, thank you."

Red quickly moved outside to board the horse and we were once again alone.

"So I reckon you know your address. What is it and we can head that way."

"Yes I believe it is pertinent that I know my own address Sheriff. 108 Mifflin Street to be exact." Never ending sass with this woman

Of course she would move to Mifflin, our town is made up of pretty much three main streets, Main Street with the saloon and shops. Morrison Street the lower class end of town, home to my friends and family and Mifflin Street where the blue bloods lived, Mr. Gold and the high class that followed him here from Boston and some sweeping in from Europe years ago.

"Right, Mifflin. Bye Red, I'll be back this evening"

"I believe it, don't worry I'll have a whole bottle on ice just waiting."

"Thanks always a faithful friend." Just the kind of end to a day I would need after this one, something to drink it away.

If Regina read into it she revealed nothing, just a blasé face as we started out towards Mifflin Street. As we walked I was imagining the perfect life that Regina must have now. The life she deserved, with money and status, jewels and a closet full of clothes. Her own thoughts seemed to float as well, a mildly comfortable silence between us.

...

"108 Mifflin here we are"

Her brown eyes searched the perimeter, going from corner to corner, taking in the windows and perfectly white exterior. If it was up to me the house was just too big.

"Well it is quite beautiful." Regina started out

"Yep sure is, lets take a step inside"

The floors were hardwood and polished perfectly, there was a grand staircase leading to the upstairs and a beautiful parlor with large bookshelves that Regina would fill easily just off the entryway.

"Well it is quite large"

"Yes it sure is Regina, I'm sure the space will be real nice"

"Yes… almost too much though. How are we to ever fill a house this size? It just feels so empty." Worry and almost sadness seemed to fill her voice. I thought Regina would be pleased by the size, showing off her husband's obvious wealth. She seemed innocent and honest in this moment, perhaps life wasn't all it cracked up to be.

"Well that's because it is, I'm sure it will be mighty fine once you put some furniture in it." I brushed off her looming unhappiness, almost wishing for the fake, high society Regina to comeback.

And in an instant there she was, immediately resuming the refined housewife role once more.

"Yes, that is very true, and I'll have to have some nice curtains made for the windows."

I moved to the staircase to sit, lounging back forearms on the step behind me eyes falling closed, giving Regina time to roam and take in the rest of the house. Her footsteps though brought her closer to me, like she was afraid to wander away in her own mansion. Apparently this place did not hold her attention but me instead. She stood before me just staring I could feel her eyes burning holes into my face, hear her shifting from foot to foot.

"I can feel you staring Regina"

"How do you do that?"

"What? Sleep it's real easy lean back, take the stick out of your butt and relax and then voilah."

"No say my name like that, you've said it five times within the last hour and each time it sounds like... velvet."

"Velvet?"

"It's disarming and too comfortable. How do you say it like that when we are but mere strangers now."

I laugh a laugh that I had never heard before, loud and boisterous yet full of fury and sadness and a million contradictory emotions at once.

"Strangers? Still denying that we know each other Miss Mills?"

I crack an eye to see Regina standing with her hands on her hips, the large foyer making her look tiny in size.

"It's White."

"Right Mrs. White, avoiding the question?"

"Emma…"

And there it was, in that instance I wanted to cry to scream, to hear her say my name was destroying my very being. It was the only thing I wished for within the last 7 years.

"No. You know what, you can be afraid to say my name and to get close Regina. You can deny that you wanted to come back and that you're scared to see what you destroyed in your wake, but you don't get to say we are strangers. You don't get to act like I don't know you. I suppose you can find your way back Mrs. White, if you need any further assistance I will be happy to help you. Goodbye."

I didn't even hear the door slam. Or hear it open again. I didn't hear her yelling my name. I heard nothing but the pounding of my own heart beat. I felt white-hot fury, because I thought I was ready to handle all of it, to handle her, but I guess I was in denial as well. Maybe the feelings of love were no longer that, maybe over the 7 years they had morphed into hatred. No. If she had come back with love in her eyes then it would all be different but this. This perfect life, void of any feeling Regina this was my breaking point and what I needed was a very large glass of whiskey.


End file.
